The Grand Deception
by Kara Paravel
Summary: Immediately after the events of "Volpina," Lila devises a plan to make things right—for which she must find a way to get herself akumatized a second time. But to do this, she'll have to directly deceive Hawkmoth himself.
1. Chapter One

In the last two hours, I'd been publicly humiliated by my idol, I'd lost all chances at getting together with a cute boy, I'd had my plans thwarted, I'd been defeated in combat, and I'd been forced to question my morals as I spun deceit upon deceit. Overall, I'd say things could have gone better.

But it was certainly an experience. I'm still not exactly sure how it happened—my memories of the whole ordeal are kind of hazy. The way I remember it, after Ladybug mocked me in front of Adrien, I shamefully fled the scene—oh, I regret that so much now. But I wasn't thinking clearly; I was allowing my frustration to control me.

And that's when the voice began to speak. As it spoke, everything appeared shrouded in a purple glow. The voice seemed to well up from inside me, and reverberated through my bones. And then it made me an offer, which I immediately accepted.

I suppose this goes to show just how irrational I was being. I'd heard my fair share of stories where desperate people strike up deals with the devil, only to come to regret it in the end. The devil always comes out on top, and I know that. But I accepted the offer regardless.

Like almost everybody I know, I'd always dreamed about the possibility of having supernatural powers. I always imagined it as a fulfilling experience, where I would have the ability to tackle my personal flaws and shove them behind me. And yet, the actual experience only magnified the parts of myself that I hate the most. I suppose that's the sweet irony in the situation.

You see, I've always been a liar. I can't help it—if I'm not very careful about what I say, I'll reflexively spin fantastic tales with no bearing on reality. And I'm very good at it. I've convinced most of the people I know that I once got to fly to the space station. It was far more interesting then talking about my boring summer in Rouen, and so it's the story that I told. I didn't want to, but I can't exactly take it back now. I try to tell the truth, but the truth will inevitably be overpowered by the fear of not being seen as interesting enough.

And I hoped that the powers I gained would provide an avenue to express myself without resorting to deception. But the powers Hawkmoth gave me only made my lies even more convincing. My dreams of fighting evil alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir were shattered, as I tried desperately to create an image by creating imaginary threats to the city. Without the authenticity, my powers meant nothing.

Fortunately, I'm very good at making plans, and I had a few choice ideas to salvage this situation. The crucial step was to get Hawkmoth to return my powers. I didn't know how to get him to do that, but I knew somebody who might be able to help me out. And that's why I was sitting on a park bench and waiting, as the evening sky faded from orange to pink. I was slowly turning my fox tail necklace over and over in my hand.

"Hey there, Lila."

The voice caught me by surprise, and I spun around quickly, only to see the exact person I'd been waiting to meet.

"Hey there, Alya," I said, relieved.

"I don't know if you saw, but you made the news," Alya said casually. "You certainly embarassred the reporters when they found out you duped them. That look on Nadja Chamack's face was priceless!"

I honestly wasn't sure whether or not she was upset or worried. As far as I could tell, she was completely nonchalant, despite talking to a person who just an hour before had been a supervillain. And to that, I didn't know what to say. Fortunately, it seemed she had plenty on her mind.

"So any chance I might be able to get another interview out of you?" Alya continued, not pausing to let me answer. "That first one was already a hit; just imagine how many views I'd get from a follow-up! Would you be up for that?"

"Maybe later," I answered coolly, "but there's a lot on my mind right now. I was actually hoping to ask some questions of you. Since you run the Ladyblog, you seemed the most informed."

"Oh, of course!" Alya said cheerfully. "Let me guess–you're wondering about how you became a villain, who Hawkmoth is, what the fact that he chose you says about your personal character, whether there's a chance that he'll return you to villainy, and whether the things you did will result in being cast out by your friends."

"Well…yes, that's a good summary," I replied, feeling surprised. "How did you know?"

Alya shrugged. "I've got a knack for asking the right questions, I guess. And that was exactly how I was feeling after my own time as a villain."

Now I was even more surprised. "You became a villain?"

Alya laughed. "You really are new here, aren't you? Yes, I was Lady Wifi."

I'd heard of Lady Wifi. I'd even seen her broadcast; almost everybody in Europe did. I wonder how many of us were hoping she'd be successful in revealing Ladybug's identity. Probably most of us, out of curiosity. But I wasn't—I loved the mystery and intrigue, and I didn't want it to end. I can't say I feel that way anymore…after my first meeting with Ladybug, all admiration I'd felt towards her was lost.

"So," Alya continued, "I can definitely put your worries to rest. Nobody's going to shun you for having been a villain. Heck, most of the people in our school have been villains, including every single person in our class…Antibug was Chloé, Bubbler was Nino, Reflekta was Juleka—heck, even Darkblade was one of the teachers here! So we're pretty used to it by now. Anybody in Paris can become a villain, so there's no shame in Hawkmoth choosing you."

"But why did he choose me in the first place?"

"Well, most of the time he targets negative emotions, such as anger, sadness, and frustration. These emotions drive desperation, and desperation drives desperate actions. So he targets people with these emotions and gives them powers that will increase the impact of those desperate actions. By the way, can you tell me what happened to you to prompt this?"

I firmly shook my head. "Absolutely not. Besides, even if I did, you probably wouldn't believe I was telling the truth."

"Because it's really improbable? Believe me, I've been reporting on villains for six months now. I've seen everything."

"No, that's not why you wouldn't believe me—it's because I haven't had a good track record with truth so far."

Alya nodded. "Fair point."

"By the way," I added, "none of what I've told you is going to go any further than this conversation, or you'll deeply regret it."

Alya chuckled. "Girl, no need to get so defensive! If I ever pass on something you've told me in private, it's because I'll have already talked to you and gotten your permission to pass it on."

I'm not one to trust people, mainly because I'm completely untrustworthy myself. But there was something about this girl that made me feel confident she'd stick to her promise.

But I'd almost forgot my last question. "Oh, Alya, one more thing—is there a chance Hawkmoth will turn me into a villain again?"

Alya frowned. "I don't know much about Hawkmoth, not for lack of trying, so it's hard to say. The only person who got akumatized twice was Stoneheart, and that was certainly an unusual circumstance. Ladybug caught your akuma, right?"

"You mean when the butterfly came out of my necklace and she caught it with her yoyo?"

Alya grinned. "So I was right—it was in the necklace! I thought so…I'm getting good at this!" She paused, seemingly trying to remember my question. "Yeah. If she caught it, you're probably off the hook. As far as I've seen, he's never sent two different akumas to the same person. No need to worry."

"Thanks," I said. "That's all I need to know. I guess I'll see you in class."

Alya looked a bit taken aback. "Wait, you're leaving? But we've just gotten started talking."

"I'm sorry," I replied, picking up my bag. "I think we need to find another time for that interview. I have to go." Before Alya could protest, I turned and briskly walked away.

It was almost dark now. I stood just around the street corner until I made sure Alya was gone, and then I tiptoed back to the park. Hawkmoth had seemed very familiar, and now I was sure I'd seen him in the book. I'd planned very carefully; the park keeper had come by only five minutes before to pick up the trash. There was no way the book would be gone. And then I'd have a potential way of figuring out what makes Hawkmoth tick.

The book was gone. I don't know how. That certainly threw a wrench in my plan.

Oh, yes, I had a plan.

Alya had misunderstood my final question. It was asked out of ambition, not fear. If I wanted to make things right, I had to get Hawkmoth to akumatize me a second time. Yes, his motives weren't exactly in line with mine, but I'm the best liar I know. And as long as I could convince Hawkmoth I was working toward his goals, he'd never have any clue I was working towards a different set of objectives entirely–or at least, not until it was too late. Hawkmoth's clever, but not as clever as me—and certainly not as clever as Volpina.


	2. Chapter Two

It's well known that a moth will fly toward a bright light. So, the way to trap a moth is to use a light to entice it and draw it in. By the time it notices that the light's surrounded by a box, the lid will have already been closed, and there's no way to escape. In this case, the light is frustration and anger, and the moth is…well, still a moth, actually.

During the night following my akumatization, I'd written an anonymous blog post on the website of Collège François-Dupont. This post didn't just reveal the secret identity of Volpina—it also disproved, with evidence, every single lie I had told to the other students. It was the greatest attack piece that anybody could have ever written about me, exposing me as scheming, untrustworthy, and malicious. And the key to the situation was that every single thing there was true.

So, the next morning, I headed to the school, ready for the alienation and the harassment to come from all sides. Even though I'd forced it on myself, I expected it to still be an experience traumatic enough to catch Hawkmoth's attention. And there was no way he would know that blog post had been written by me.

I arrived a few minutes late to my homeroom. Mme. Bustier shot me a dirty look in response to my tardiness, but didn't say anything as I slid into my seat next to a small boy with tomato-red hair.

"You must be Lila, then?" he whispered as Mme. Bustier began addressing the class.

I nodded. "You're Nathanaël, right? Adrien mentioned you yesterday."

I watched him instinctively shift in his seat to be a little farther from me as I confirmed my identity. "Is that so?" he asked. "What did Adrien say about me?"

"He just pointed you out," I explained. "He tried to get me up to speed on everybody's names."

Nathanaël nodded hesitantly. "Is it true you were Volpina?"

"Yes, I was. But that's not a big deal, right? I thought pretty much everyone here had become villains at some point, right? I mean, weren't you Evillustrator?"

Nathanaël's eyes widened abruptly. "How did you know that?"

Uh-oh. That was a lucky guess. Alya had said yesterday that every student in the class was a former villain, and this boy had hair that reminded me of the news footage I'd seen of Evillustrator. But I didn't have a chance to explain before he cut me off.

"You lied to me, didn't you?" he whispered angrily. "Adrien didn't just tell you my name, he told you that as well! Well, that's none of your business!" He turned to face forward.

I tried to reason with him, but he refused to interact with me. When class ended and we had a five minute break, he moved one row up to sit next to a large boy wearing a shirt with crossbones on it. I guess he didn't want anything to do with me. Which was fair, considering what he'd have read about me on the blog. But it still hurt.

That was when the thought first crossed my mind that Hawkmoth might not be willing to akumatize me again at all. Perhaps I had failed him once, and so he wouldn't trust me to do the job on the second try, and I was ruining my life for nothing.

Throughout all my morning classes, I noticed students around the room shooting hesitant glances at me, refusing to make eye contact. I squirmed in my seat for hours on end, worrying more and more about the potential consequences of what I had done.

It was such a relief when it was time for lunch. I fled that classroom like an eagle on the wind, rushing out the door, down the stairs, and straight into that dark-haired girl who was coming back from the bathroom. We tumbled down the few remaining steps and landed in an awkward heap as that girl Chloé looked on and chuckled.

We fumbled to right ourselves. I was the first to stand up—I brushed off my jacket and offered her my hand.

"Sorry if I caught you off balance," she quipped with a smile as I helped her up.

I blinked, not sure what to say. The chances of her not knowing the secrets I had released was very slim—almost zero. And yet, here she was, smiling. I noticed I'd left my mouth open—I closed it sharply.

"Hi there," the girl tried. "I'm Marinette."

"I'm Lila," I responded. I almost offered her my hand to shake, and then I realized I hadn't let go of her hand after helping her up. I released it awkwardly.

"You're new here, right?" Marinette asked. "I saw you talking to Adrien yesterday."

I nodded, still not sure what to say.

"Here," Marinette decided. "Follow me—I know a good place to get lunch."

I'd brought my own lunch, but I followed her anyway. She led me across the street to what looked like a small bakery. The bell on the door jingled as we entered.

"Hi Mom!" Marinette called out at the woman behind the cash register. "This is Lila, she's a new student at school."

"Hello there, Lila!" the woman responded happily. "It's nice to see Marinette's making new friends."

Well, that was abrupt. I'd met the girl literally two minutes before; I wouldn't say we were friends.

"Would you like something to eat?" Marinette's mother asked. "We're always happy to provide lunch for friends of Marinette."

Marinette nudged me with her elbow. "Ask her for a piece of that quiche," she muttered under her breath. "It's my father's own recipe."

And so, Marinette and I sat down outside in front of the school, as I ate quiche and she ate a sandwich.

"So what brings you to Paris?" Marinette asked casually.

I thought for a minute. "My parents are diplomats from Italy. They were asked to come here by the president himself, to work on a top secret project."

Marinette sighed. "Lila, you don't have to lie to me. I saw the post on the blog, and I'm well aware that story isn't true."

"You saw the blog post?" I asked. "Then why—"

Marinette cut me off. "I don't know who did this to you, but it's awful. I don't care how many lies you've told, nobody deserves to be attacked like that."

"So you're not mad at me for lying?"

Marinette shrugged. "Not really. I'm just sad that you didn't feel comfortable telling the truth, even to me right now."

"I don't mean to do it," I blurted out. "It's compulsive. I always try not to, but I always worry that my life isn't interesting enough to talk about."

Oh my god. What was I doing? I was just pouring my heart out to this girl I'd just met.

Marinette put her arm around me. "I understand. And we all know who the real villain is here; that's the person who thought it was okay to expose your personal secrets to everybody."

And then we talked, until lunch ended and it was time for class to start again. This was the first person in a long time that I'd ever been able to talk to honestly—I told her the actual story of how I came to Paris, and in return she told me stories of things that happened at the school in the past. When the bell rang to call everybody back to class, I didn't want to leave.

As we parted ways, I noticed that she seemed familiar. Then I put it together: she had exactly the same hair as Ladybug, right down to the two ponytails and the blue sheen it gave off in the sunlight. It was jarring to see this similarity between my enemy and this girl who seemed to care so much about me.

I realized then that Marinette had thrown a wrench in my plan. I was supposed to be frustrated and angry, but I was feeling happier than I'd felt in a long time.

"Well, well. It's just her second day here and Lila's already got a girlfriend. And here I thought Marinette was into guys."

I still couldn't quite place the voice, but given the malicious undertones and the casual erasure of bi people, I knew exactly who I was going to see when I turned around.

"Hey there, Chloé," I said through gritted teeth.

"What, that's all you have to say for yourself?" she sneered. "'Hey there, Chloé.' I wonder if even that is a lie. Because we can't trust anything you say, now, can we?"

"Look, I don't want any trouble, okay?" I did want trouble. I'd heard rumors of how Chloé was responsible for many, many akumatizations. She was exactly what I needed.

"Ha!" Chloé laughed. "As if you could make trouble in the first place. Even as Volpina your powers did exactly nothing. There was literally no danger there! It must have been Ladybug's easiest fight in, like, forever."

She'd played the Ladybug card. This was the point where I forgot all about my plan and simply snapped. "Well then, at least I came close to getting her to take off her Miraculous! So I think my powers were pretty effective, actually. Can you say the same about the powers you had?"

Chloé smirked. "So, you're proud of fighting Ladybug, then? I suppose you wanted Hawkmoth to win? I guess that's not surprising for a liar. Speaking of which, don't think I believed you for a second. But other people did. Rose thought you'd actually talk about her with Prince Ali, and Nino actually thought you'd help him get in touch with famous Hollywood directors. Isn't that right, Nino?"

Nino was standing a few feet away, and he turned to glare at me. "Yeah, that was a real letdown. Thanks for that, Lila."

I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. I looked around for Marinette, but didn't see her anywhere.

"I…I need to be alone for a minute," I managed to say, rushing away as Chloé chuckled. I ran out the school gates, stopped, and took a few deep breaths.

And that was when I saw the butterfly, flapping gracefully on the wind, coming steadily closer. I'd made sure to put on my fox necklace when getting dressed that morning. I watched as the butterfly flew right inside. And as I looked up, a purple glow enshrouded everything I saw, and a deep voice spoke to me as if it were welling up from inside me.

"Hello again, Volpina."


	3. Chapter Three

I'd played my cards perfectly. I had my powers, I had a plan, and Hawkmoth had no idea that I'd been playing him. I hoped to keep it that way for as long as possible. When I spoke to Hawkmoth, I told him that I needed two nights to take down Ladybug and Chat Noir. He seemed impatient, but eventually agreed.

And now, it was time to get started.

The full moon shone high above as I stood on a rooftop, spinning my flute in my hands and surveying the city. It was time to draw out a hero. Who knew whether Chat Noir was prowling the streets, or whether Ladybug was out scouting for trouble to put to rest. But with an effective illusion, I was confident that I could call them both into action.

My strategy this time was different. Last time, I revealed myself too soon, and they had figured out what they were up against. This time, I planned to stay in the shadows, pulling the strings without being seen. They'd never stand a chance, especially since they wouldn't have be expecting to come up against me again.

And with that encouraging thought, I raised my flute, played a quick tune, and brandished the end toward the Eiffel Tower. It ought to be a visible enough target.

As my illusion hit the tower, the golden lights lining the sides of the structure flickered out. And then a new light started to glow, pulsing around the top of the tower, in a deep-red hue like that of a dying star. It was high and bright enough to bathe the entire city in a crimson aura.

That was all the illusion did. But it certainly looked striking enough to draw a hero or two to come investigate. So I stood and waited on the rooftop, twirling my flute from hand to hand.

I'd never actually played flute before. It was never an instrument I cared for; I had always thought it to be too shrill, lacking the depth of the bassoon or the smoothness of the clarinet. But I was certainly starting to care for this instrument in particular. I'd always viewed music as a way of expressing ideas, but until now I had thought it impossible to express those ideas in perfect clarity, without resorting to symbol and metaphor. Yet while I was becoming quite skilled at creating illusions, there was no doubt that the music itself could use some improvements.

I sensed some motion in the corner of my eye. Looking closer, I spotted Chat Noir, leaping from building to building heading towards the bait I had set on the Eiffel Tower. Perfect. I took a very close look to make sure Ladybug wasn't nearby him, and then I put my flute to my lips and carefully played a melody I'd been practicing all evening.

And with a wave of my flute, I created a perfect duplicate of Ladybug herself. With a few quick swings, she was right by Chat Noir's side.

"What's new, pussycat?" my Ladybug asked jovially.

Chat Noir grinned. "Call it my feline instincts, I've never been able to resist chasing the red dot."

I chuckled at his pun, trying to think of an appropriate response.

"What do you make of it?" Ladybug asked, for lack of a better reply.

"I'd have to take a closer look, I think," Chat Noir contemplated. "I'm thinking possibly an akuma, but it seems uncharacteristic of Hawkmoth to release one so late at night."

"True. And what sort of villain would create an odd red light without giving any other signs of their presence?"

Chat Noir frowned. "Somebody who wants to be noticed. Possibly to draw us out. We're going to have to be careful."

This guy was good. I'd expected him to take at least thirty more seconds to pick up on that. I looked around again to make sure there were no signs of the actual Ladybug. We seemed in the clear, but I still wanted to make this quick.

"What if it's Hawkmoth himself?" Ladybug asked.

"Now there's a thought! I've always wondered where we could find his cocoon. And didn't the first akuma go to the top of the tower when it made copies of itself?"

Chat Noir turned to look at Ladybug only to see my finishing touch—a purple ring around her face in the shape of a butterfly, quickly fading.

The adventurous grin slid off Chat Noir's face. "Oh, no…" he whispered. "This is a trap, isn't it?"

Ladybug gave a curt nod. "You're quick to notice, kitty cat. I must say I'm impressed."

Chat Noir took a step backwards, lifting his staff defensively. "I don't know how he got to you, my lady. But please don't do this."

Ladybug laughed. "Do you seriously think you can convince me otherwise? I'll make this quick—hand over your Miraculous. If it makes you feel better, I don't want to do this any more than you do."

Chat Noir pointed his staff directly at Ladybug. "I can't do that, Ladybug. Because somebody's gotta capture your akuma. And if you're not going to be up to the task, that's my job."

"You know I can beat you in a fight, Chat Noir."

Chat Noir shook his head. "A fight isn't what I'm looking for."

"Good," Ladybug retorted. "That makes this even easier." Spinning around and throwing her yoyo, Ladybug swung off the building down the narrow, lamp-lit streets. I was pleased to see Chat Noir following in pursuit. I couldn't have an actual fight—I was very aware that my Ladybug would disappear at the slightest touch.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw motion from another direction. That must be the real Ladybug—this was working even better than I expected. Time to move into phase two. After playing a quick ditty, I had a perfect duplicate of Chat Noir, who I sent over to meet Ladybug.

I'd have to be even quicker with this one, since I didn't know how long I could keep the real Chat Noir on the run. So my Chat Noir started off on the attack—landing staff-down directly next to Ladybug, with a very visible purple butterfly ring around his face.

Ladybug looked very surprised, but I saw her expression quickly turn from surprise to horror. It was very satisfying.

"What's new, bugaboo?" my Chat Noir sneered.

"Oh no, Chat Noir," Ladybug breathed. "Please tell me this isn't happening."

"Ah, I wish I could tell you that," Chat Noir chuckled, "but then I'd be lying, and we all know what you think of liars."

"What do you want?" she asked.

Chat Noir laughed. "What do you think? I want what we all want—your Miraculous."

Ladybug shook her head, and drew her yoyo. "Absolutely not. No chance whatsoever."

"Look, let's just get it over with. I don't wnat to do this either. But neither of us really has any choice at this point."

I noticed Ladybug looking up and down Chat Noir's body, evidently looking for where the akuma might be hiding. Fortunately, my reflexes were quick, and I had Chat Noir jump away right when she lunged at him. Chat Noir quickly fled down the street, and I was pleased to see Ladybug following him.

Now I could lead both of the heroes wherever I wanted, and I knew a perfect spot. I sent the illusion heroes to a small courtyard in front of a chapel, just two blocks away. As I had planned, the two actual heroes were in hot pursuit. And as the illusions vanished, Ladybug and Chat Noir came face to face.

"There isn't any way out of this, is there?" Ladybug asked pleadingly.

Chat Noir solemnly shook his head.

Ladybug and Chat Noir stood facing each other, one spinning her yoyo, the other twirling his baton. Then they rushed together, and the fight began.


	4. Chapter Four

In retrospect, I should have scheduled my plan to start on Saturday rather than Friday. Dealing with superheroes was exhausting, and now I was faced with returning to school on two hours of sleep. At least it was Saturday now, so I'd only have half a day of classes. I wondered if Ladybug and Chat Noir were facing a similar problem, since they were fighting each other all through the night.

I hadn't expected the two to be so evenly matched—I'd expected Ladybug to emerge as the clear winner within a few minutes. But as the sun had risen, neither of them had defeated the other, and they were still clueless as to how I had tricked them, each still believing the other to be akumatized.

As I ate breakfast, I had a chance to watch the morning news. Sure enough, a reporter was covering the aftermath of the fight. "We're not sure what prompted Ladybug and Chat Noir to turn on each other," she was saying. "Some believe this was simply a disagreement between friends. But others fear that there is a more sinister factor at play. Perhaps one of our heroes has fallen victim to Hawkmoth—or perhaps one of them may have turned to evil of their own accord. Because of this possibility, Mayor Bourgeois has declared a state of emergency. Neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir could be reached for comment. It seems our only course of action at this point is to wait for future developments. Until then, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is TVi News."

The plan was far more successful than I had anticipated. This city had gotten used to being attacked by villains on practically a weekly basis. But I'd seen the news coverage from those, and this seemed the first time in a long while that people seemed actually scared. They'd learned to rely on their heroes when danger struck. And now people were questioning whether that trust was misplaced.

"I'm impressed, Volpina," Hawkmoth's voice spoke in my head. "You're certainly the sly fox I took you for. But let's not lose focus. I want those jewels!"

"Don't worry, Hawkmoth," I replied. "Sabotaging their reputation and their trust in each other is only the beginning."

It was time to go to school. Since I couldn't exactly go into class looking like Volpina, I created an illusion duplicate of myself in my normal form. As I crouched on the roof of the school, my duplicate walked up the steps, and was met there by Marinette.

"Good morning, Lila!" she said cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

"I'm afraid I didn't," I replied.

Before I could say anything else, I noticed both Alya and Adrien walking up the steps toward us. "Good morning, Lila," Alya said as she brushed past my duplicate. "Marinette, did you see what happened last night?"

"No, what was it?" Marinette asked innocently.

Alya pulled out her phone, and both Marinette and Adrien leaned over to take a closer look. "Ladybug and Chat Noir were fighting each other. Look, you can see that they broke those windows and even cracked the sidewalk! It must have been intense. I wish I could have been there filming it, because we've got no footage at all."

Marinette didn't look particularly shocked, but took an expression of surprise as Alya looked up from her phone. "Do you know why they're fighting?" Marinette asked.

"At first I thought that Chat Noir was being mind-controlled by a villain. It's happened a few times before—with Dislocoeur, with Puppeteer, and with Princesse Fragrance. But each of those times, Ladybug beat him easily, and this time it looks like it was an evenly matched fight. Nobody even knows who won, if anybody did. So I think Chat Noir's turned evil of his own accord."

"Or maybe it's Ladybug that's turned evil," Adrien suggested.

Alya shook her head. "No way. I could never see that happening."

"I don't know. I could see that," I added.

Alya shot my duplicate a dirty look. "I know you could. But you've got the wrong impression of her. Even if you don't personally like her, she's a true hero."

"But so is Chat Noir!" Adrien insisted. "If we know that one of them's gone bad, it's equally likely to be either one."

The bell rang, and everybody headed to class. My illusory doppelgänger followed suit.

I took pride in my success in taking down the two heroes. But I was starting to feel that it was an empty victory, as nobody other than Hawkmoth knew that I was responsible for it. I'd done something no other villain had managed to pull off, and was getting no credit for it.

I had to confess to somebody. I suppose it's my fatal flaw.

And so, as classes ended for the day, my illusion approached Marinette. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked.

"Of course, Lila!" Marinette grinned. "What is it?"

"Not here," I whispered. "Follow me." My illusion led her out the gate and behind the school.

"I have something to confess," I said hesitantly.

Marinette nodded. "Whatever it is, your secret's safe with me. You can trust me."

"Good," I replied. "Because if anybody else finds out—especially Ladybug—it could mean disaster."

Now Marinette started to look worried. "What is it?"

"I—" I couldn't find the words. It was a new experience—throughout my life, the words I needed were always on the tip of my tongue. And this had happened several times in the past couple days. Especially when I spoke to Marinette. There was something about her that made it hard for me to speak.

I saw it now. It was that I couldn't lie to her. I'd done it before, and it had felt as if I was betraying her. I now felt that everything I said to her would have to be the absolute truth, and that was difficult for me.

"Take my hand," I finally said after a long pause, extending the hand of my illusion.

Marinette seemed taken aback. "What?"

"Please, just do it."

She hesitantly reached out and touched the hand of my illusion. It promptly disappeared in a cloud of orange smoke. Marinette gasped.

That was my cue. I leaped off of the roof of the school and landed in front of her.

"Volpina!" Marinette exclaimed. I looked into her eyes, and instead of the usual compassion and kindness, I saw only shock and fear.

"Listen, Marinette—" I began, reaching out to her.

She pulled away. "What are you doing?!"

"Don't worry!" I pleaded, trying to reassure her. "I don't mean you any harm. You said I could trust you."

Now she seemed confused. "How are you back—did you get akumatized again? And what's your plan?"

I distracted her with a question of my own. "Have you ever been akumatized, Marinette?"

She shook her head. That was strange. I thought Alya had said everybody in the class had been akumatized; I wouldn't have imagined she'd forget her best friend. But no matter—I pressed on.

"So then you don't know what it's like. You might imagine it would be exciting and liberating, but it's exactly the opposite. When I was akumatized the first time, it only magnified the worst part of myself—the part that can't help but spin lies and trickery; the part I want to destroy. By being akumatized, I learned just how evil I could be, and that terrifies me. The entire experience was one of terror, guilt, and shame."

"So why did you let it happen again?" she asked.

"Because it was the only way I could stop it from happening to anybody else, ever again."

"How do you mean?"

I sighed. "Do you know why I hate Ladybug so much? It's not just because she humiliated me in front of Adrien…and besides, she apologized for that. It's because Hawkmoth has been akumatizing people practically every week, and Ladybug has done nothing at all to try to actually stop him. As a superhero, it's her responsibility to cut this problem off at the source, but she's been allowing this to happen to more and more people."

Now Marinette seemed even more confused. "So you hate Hawkmoth, but you got yourself akumatized again?

I nodded. "Since Ladybug wasn't doing anything to take down Hawkmoth, I decided to do it myself. Lila couldn't do it…but Volpina can."

"How?" Marinette asked.

"It's actually a bit ironic. If I go against Hawkmoth directly, he can take my powers away. So I have to trick Ladybug and Chat Noir into doing it for me. And they're going to. My plan is working perfectly. I've turned them against each other, making each think the other has been akumatized. Now they're both going to be terrified and distraught, since they've each lost their closest ally. And who are they going to blame for that? Hawkmoth. This will finally give them the incentive to take down Hawkmoth once and for all."

"That's brilliant," Marinette breathed.

"And that's why you can't tell anybody. If Hawkmoth finds out, if Ladybug finds out, and even if Chat Noir finds out, my plan will be ruined."

"But why are you telling me?"

"Because I need an ally. I need somebody I can count on if things go wrong, and I need to know that there's somebody out there who trusts me."

"Hang on a minute," Marinette said, looking concerned. "If Hawkmoth has akumatized you, how does he not know what you're saying right now?"

I grinned and opened my hand, showing her that I was holding my fox necklace. "I took it off. He can't hear or see anything I'm doing. Once I put it back on, I'll just tell him it fell off, and he won't have any clue. I guess I'm putting my skill as a liar to good use; he hasn't suspected anything this whole time!"

Now Marinette seemed impressed. "I didn't think anybody would be able to trick Hawkmoth to that extent. But now that I think about it, you're definitely the best liar I've ever met. If anybody could dupe him, you could." Then she started to look concerned again. "But how do you know you're not lying to me right now?"

"Because I love you, Marinette."

Wait, what?

What had I just said?

That wasn't supposed to happen. I was just supposed to tell her my plan. Why did I say that? Was I lying?

I thought for a second. I wasn't lying. I'd just never consciously realized.

Oh, no.

This was bad, this was very bad. What was I supposed to do now?

Marinette looked very surprised. Probably almost as surprised as I did. There was an awkward silence of several seconds in which none of us spoke.

I turned and ran.

"Wait! Volpina!" Marinette called after me. I didn't look back.

I'd known her for two days. That wasn't nearly enough time to know that for certain.

But it explained everything. That was why I couldn't bring myself to lie to her, why I appeared to her in person instead of just as an illusion, and why I so desperately wanted her as an ally. And earlier, when I had told myself I needed to find somebody to confess to, it wasn't true. I didn't want to confess to somebody—I wanted to confess to her.

And now she knew all of that as well.

That certainly threw a wrench in things.


	5. Chapter Five

As dusk swept over the city, I stood on the rooftops, watching and waiting. Ladybug and Chat Noir had disappeared at daybreak, and I had no doubt that they would soon be appearing again, to resolve their differences. I suspected tonight would be the night when each would realize their error in thinking the other to be akumatized.

Sure enough, I soon saw a flash of red darting through the evening sky, moving faster than I ever could. I followed, trying to see where she was going. I caught up to her in Montmartre, where she stopped at the foot of Sacre-Coeur. And there she waited. I hid myself in the belfry, watching and listening.

"This is taking so long!" Hawkmoth exclaimed angrily in my head. "It's been a full day and I still don't have those Miraculous! Tonight is the time to act!"

"Don't worry, Hawkmoth," I whispered. "It may take a few days, but my plan is foolproof. And when I'm done, they'll happily hand over their Miraculous to me."

"I'm growing impatient," he snarled. "You have one day. And if I don't have the Miraculous by then, say goodbye to your powers."

"Why?" I asked. "If you take away my powers, you get nothing, and you'll have to find some other way to get the Miraculous. And how many times have those plans failed? You'll save no time by creating another villain in my place. In all likelihood, if you take my powers away, you won't get the Miraculous at all."

Hawkmoth growled. "I don't like your attitude, Volpina. Perhaps I'll take your powers away just for that."

I laughed. "Hawkmoth, I want to see Ladybug fall just as much as you do. I know what that feels like. And that's how I know you won't take my powers away. Because deep down, you know this is the best chance you have. I've turned Ladybug and Chat Noir on each other, and that's far more than any other villain has been able to accomplish."

"That's not actually true," Hawkmoth retorted. "Dislocoeur did the same thing, and far more easily."

"And look how easily that was derailed. With a simple kiss. It's because Ladybug knew how it happened, and still had faith in Chat Noir. Once I've destroyed their trust in each other, it'll never return, and taking the Miraculous will be child's play."

"Fine, then. Take the time you need. But if you let me down, know that I will make you suffer."

I shrugged. "Doesn't bother me."

A minute passed in silence. I watched Ladybug pacing at the foot of the cathedral, evidently waiting for Chat Noir. Then she looked directly up at the bell tower where I was hiding.

"I know you're watching me," she said calmly. "Come on down from there and let's talk."

I froze for a second. Was she talking to me? If so, how did she know I was there?

I then sensed motion on the other side of the belfry. It was Chat Noir. True to his name, he'd hidden perfectly in the shadows. I hadn't even noticed him just a few paces away.

Fortunately, it didn't look as if he had noticed me. Extending his staff, he leaped out of the tower and gracefully landed by Ladybug's side. "Glad to see you, my lady. Now would you mind explaining what's going on?"

Ladybug nodded. "There's been a misunderstanding. You've been trying to fight me because you believed me to be akumatized. And I've been trying to fight you because I believed you to be akumatized."

"You told me to give you my Miraculous."

"I'm sure I did. And you told me the same thing."

"But how is that possible?" Chat Noir asked, confused. "I never told you anything of the sort."

"And neither did I," Ladybug replied with a grin. "You see, I've figured out what's been going on. Neither of those conversations ever happened between us."

Oh no. This seemed to be going in a direction I very much did not want it to go.

"So then…who was I talking to?" Chat Noir inquired.

"We've both been deceived, kitty cat," Ladybug teased. "We've been played by a villain. One who is very skilled in the art of trickery, and tried to turn us against each other."

"And what villain might that be?"

Ladybug drew a deep breath. "Volpina."

She'd actually figured it out. But how? How was that possible? I was sure I'd been playing my cards perfectly!

Then I realized. It was Marinette. She'd passed on what I told her to Ladybug, even after she promised not to. That had been the one weakness in my plan: blinded by my feelings for her, I had told her everything. And now, I was faced with the harsh truth: I'd seen her as perfect, but she was just as much of a dirty liar as I was.

Chat Noir nodded. "So, you're telling me…when you attacked me and tried to take my Miraculous, that was an illusion?"

"The first time, yes. Then she managed to bring us face to face, and let us fight each other, each of us with the assumption that the other is akumatized."

"So that we'll be busy fighting each other and thereby allowing her to slip in and steal the Miraculous!" Chat Noir inferred.

Ladybug shook her head. "That's what I would have expected as well. But her motives are actually quite different. She wants to bring down Hawkmoth. And she thinks that if we believe Hawkmoth is threatening us directly, it'll provoke us to go after him once and for all."

Chat Noir winked. "And that's even more proof that we're made for each other, my lady. But how do you know all of this?"

Ladybug returned his wink. "That's my little secret."

But then Chat Noir started to look confused. "So if we thwart Volpina's plan…does that mean that Hawkmoth wins?"

"I don't know," Ladybug replied. "I think we should talk to her. I bet she's watching us right now."

"But if she's watching us…then won't Hawkmoth be watching too?"

Ladybug's grin disappeared. "Oh no. And so we've just revealed her entire plan to him."

I smacked my forehead. Those idiots had just ruined everything. Again.

"Well, then, Volpina," Hawkmoth's voice said. He was speaking very quietly, in almost a whisper, and I could feel that he was absolutely livid. "There's been a lot you haven't been telling me, I take it."

"When you akumatized me for the first time, you made me your enemy," I replied, trying to keep my voice as calm and steady as possible. "I'm not somebody you want as your enemy. I've been playing you this whole time. And if those imbeciles hadn't given me away, you would have fallen."

"You tricked me into akumatizing you."

"Having my powers would make it much easier to bring you down."

"You spun an entire plan that was completely fake."

"I couldn't exactly tell you my real plan, could I?"

"You told me that your akuma had 'fallen off.' I assume that was because you didn't want me to see something."

"Of course it was."

"But I thought you hated Ladybug!" he insisted. "Why would you do something that would help her?"

"And that's the thing that nobody seems to understand. I don't hate Ladybug because of what she said to me at the park. Besides, she already apologized for that. I hate Ladybug because she's the one with the power to stop you, and she doesn't use it. I don't hate her nearly as much as I hate you, and so if she's not going to take you on, that duty falls to me."

Hawkmoth let off an evil laugh that reverberated in my bones. "A noble effort. But futile. And now, I'm going to make you pay."

I shook my head. "Sorry, Hawkmoth. You'll do nothing of the sort." With one swift motion, I ripped off my necklace, breaking the chain, and flung it out of the bell tower. "Ladybug!" I shouted.

As both Ladybug and Chat Noir turned at the sound of my voice, the necklace crashed into the cobblestones beside them, shattering into a hundred pieces. The akuma hesitantly unfurled its dark wings and took flight.

Ladybug knew exactly what to do. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma!" she said triumphantly, swinging her yoyo and capturing the butterfly straight out of the air.

I could feel my transformation fading. My suit shifted into my regular clothes, my mask evaporated, my flute disintegrated, and the two fake ears on my head disappeared.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," Ladybug said softly, and I was Lila again.

"Let's go talk to her," Chat Noir said, and they leaped up toward the tower.

"You imbeciles!" I shouted angrily as they arrived. "You can't do anything right!"

Ladybug put her hand on my shoulder. "Lila, listen. That was a very brave thing you did. I don't think anybody else could ever pull it off."

"Then I guess we're doomed," I retorted. "I came closer to bringing down Hawkmoth than you two ever did. You haven't even tried! Even though it's your job to fight evil—you just deal with his villains when they appear, and never cut them off at the source."

Ladybug nodded. "You're quite right. Chat Noir, I think you'd agree that we've been far too casual in letting Hawkmoth endanger the city. We need to double down on our efforts."

"You don't know what it's like to be akumatized," I explained. "It's a terrible experience. It—"

"It magnifies what you percieve to be the worst part of yourself," she interrupted. "Yes, I know. You already told me."

I frowned, confused. "I never told you anything of the sort." I'd said that to Marinette.

Ladybug blinked, looked worried for a moment, and then shrugged. "Sorry. I must have heard that from somebody else."

I continued. "But regardless, you can't let this happen to any more people. You think your power fixes everything, but it doesn't. Even now, I'm left with a lingering terror from my first akumatization."

"Don't worry, Lila," Chat Noir reassured me. "You've inspired us. We'll try as hard as we can to bring him down."

"You know," Ladybug pointed out, "you could have just talked to us in the first place. You could have explained how you thought we should have gone after Hawkmoth, and what it's like to be akumatized, and why we can't let it happen to anybody else. And we'd have understood, and gone after him. All it would take would be a few words." Seeing my angry glare, she shook her head. "But I guess that's not really how you do things."

"I think that just about wraps things up," Chat Noir concluded. "And if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to give us a call!"

And they both left, leaving me at the top of the bell tower. As the sun set and the full moon rose, I sat there in silence for what must have been an hour, and then I began the long climb down.

Eventually, I wandered over to the park where Ladybug had accosted me that first time, the other day. Perhaps I had been too quick to judge her. There was no denying that she was a poor excuse for a superhero, but at least her intentions were just, and she seemed to actually care about what I had to say to her. And besides, without her, I wouldn't have had a plan of any sort to take down Hawkmoth…she was an essential component. I guess Paris needed her after all.

"Lila? Are you all right?"

Startled, I turned to see Marinette, who moved to sit on the bench next to me. I stood up and turned my back to her.

"Listen, Lila, I know you think I sold you out to Ladybug," she began.

"I suppose she told you that I think that?" I shot back.

"No, actually. I inferred that when I saw you sitting here."

"Well," I asked, without turning to face her, "did you do it?"

I heard her sigh. "Yes. Yes, I did."

I groaned, and began to walk away.

"Wait!" she called after me. "I have something to say!"

I shook my head. "There's nothing to say. I thought you were better than me, that you could be an inspiration, something to live up to. And now I know that you're just as much of a cheat and a liar."

"You said you loved me."

"I thought I did."

"And I thought you loved Adrien?"

I shook my head. "I thought he was cute, and so I flirted with him. I do that with lots of people. It's far more casual. But with you, it's something different. I mean, it was something different."

Marinette sighed again. "Listen, Lila, I have something very important to tell you. There's another thing I've been lying to you about."

"Wow, what a surprise," I drawled, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "What is it this time? You and Adrien are together? That would just make my day."

"Actually, it's something different. I've managed to pull off an even larger deception than you did with Hawkmoth, and it's been going for months. I wanted to keep hiding it, but I owe it to you to not keep it a secret any longer. And I think it's best to show you. Please, turn around."

I slowly turned. I hadn't wanted to look at her; I thought it would make it harder. And it did. I had thought she was a beautiful person, and that there was no reservoir of deception under that exterior. Looking at her now, knowing that she was no better than me, was almost too much to bear. I thought back to when I had realized she had the same hair as Ladybug. Now the difference was not striking; I understood that the two of them were practically the same.

Wait a minute.

What was that? Next to Marinette, I saw a small, odd creature, that appeared to be hovering. It had an enormous head, and seemed to be covered in spots.

"Listen, Lila. When you idolize somebody, that in itself is just another lie. Nobody's perfect—not yourself, not any of your friends, not even the heroes that everybody thinks are perfect. But it's not the postive qualities that define a person. It's the flaws, and the imperfections, and the weaknesses. And if somebody dedicates their life to overcoming those weaknesses, even if they're not successful, that's the mark of a good person. And that's what I see in you…even if some people think you're nothing but a liar, I see how you try to overcome that, and how when you can't overcome your lies, you still try to use them for good. So now I'm asking you to acknowledge the imperfections in the girl you love…and also in the hero you used to admire."

I hadn't really been paying attention to what she was saying. "Okay, but what is that thing there?" I pointed.

"I'm Tikki," the creature responded, "and you're being very rude."

"Everything will become clear in a second," Marinette assured me. "But what I'm saying is, if you believe somebody to be perfect, you're only doomed to disappointment, and that's happened twice now. But if you abandon by that assumption, and bear in mind that every person is a person, then that's the way you can get somewhere."

The pieces were falling together in my head. She was right. It was time to give her a second chance, to give Ladybug a second chance, and to avoid false idolizations.

Besides, if my hunch was correct, Marinette never actually passed on my plan to Ladybug. She didn't need to.

"Tikki," Marinette said with a smile, "spots on."


End file.
